Poems, Prose, and Personal Thoughts
by passion4writing14
Summary: The title says it all. I believe these are some of my best writings. Only the best for my readers!
1. A Child's Mind

A Child's Mind

Dreams and Fantasies, Wishes and Hopes

As Kate Douglas Wiggin once said, "Every child born into the world is a new thought of God, an ever fresh and radiant possibility." This quote really is the epitome of what I believe. Children are the truth-tellers, the care-free dreamers and the hope of the future. Without children, the whole world would be a boring place without imagination and playfulness. Their minds do not think like adults, for they have not yet learned some of the lessons that must be learned to earn the maturity of an adult. But then again, what actually takes place inside a child's mind? We teach them how to provide for themselves and how to act in public. And, in return, they teach us how to relive our childhood imaginations. A child's mind can simply never be discovered, only studied. For if we as a society, or at least certain people in society, were to break into that precious vault, their innocence and imagination would be lost forever. We would let them become adults too quickly and they would be forced to leave their dreams behind and live in a harsh unforgiving reality.

There are dreamers of all ages. But everyone knows that most of the dreaming and wishing upon shooting stars happens when you are a child. Innocent beliefs and thoughts. As children we are all told to believe in magic and there is always a happily ever after waiting for the princess. But over time, this vision of the future is turned upside-down or at least altered. However there is always someone at every age who keeps on dreaming. Keeping that fire of child-like wonder inside of us it what gives us all different consciences and minds. Nobody dreams exactly the same dream, right? A child's dream can only be as creative as the environment they grow up in. If a child is constantly being put down or told not to dream by an authority figure, how can they go on having a creative, wide imagination? What kind of people will they grow up to be?

Ray Bradbury's story _The Veldt, _shows exactly what could happen to a child if such deprivation of imagination in present in their life. In so many horror movies, we see children's sweet innocence and delicate imagination become twisted with contempt, all play-time games gone. What has led the children to this dark place, you might ask? In _The Veldt_, the children had a nursery that changed to whatever place they simply thought of. They had lately been thinking of an African Veldt, when their parents become worried and disturbed. Soon the nursery becomes a dangerous place and they parents are forced to lock the nursery. The children are thrown into a hysterical fit until their father agrees to unlock it for a moment, but only until they leave the animatronic house for good. The tinkering music playing in your head as you read, your heart pounding in anticipation and _snap! _It's over in the blink of an eye. A tiny move was fatal for the two parents. But the children act as if nothing had ever happened when a friend of the parents, who is strangely enough a psychologist, comes to help the family leave the house.

There were signs from the children that a storm was brewing. Some of these were the children's constant lying and disobedience to their parents. I believe the biggest was the fact that the children refused to make eye contact with their parents. When you make eye contact with someone, you are acknowledging their presence and relationship you have with

the person. But these children become robots, life-less objects unable to feel emotions toward real objects of affection. The children felt the need to protect their nursery because it was giving them the love and care and, oddly, the attention that their parents wouldn't. They were in control of their minds in the veldt and soon took control of their lives outside of the nursery. Their parents had become complete strangers in their minds. They also know that they could never recreate their nursery if they left so that is why they couldn't leave. They needed to protect what they loved. A child so disturbed as to kill their parents to protect a plain room cannot be accepted as neither sane nor innocent in society or into the heart of any person who is sane themselves.

So the question is: how do we raise the future generations of children to have colorful imaginations, the love and compassion for the world and other people _and_ the obedience society requires? The answer is a tricky one. We simply draw the lines. Teach them and help them up when they stumble. We teach them facts and equations, and life-lessons; things that can't be taught but experienced. We teach them how to love, laugh and live. We teach them how to be children who run and play and are care-free. And in time we also teach them how to grow up and become the teachers of others. There are only so many things we can teach a child. But some they must learn for themselves.


	2. A Poem For Mom

A Poem For Mom

I had my dreams

You gave them wings

I cried often, my heart aching

You held me and made my hurt

Your own

I "needed" this and that

You showed me what I truly needed

I was clumsy and stumbled

You taught me how to laugh at my mistakes

And learn from them

I sang for you so many different notes

You played the piano and

Told me how to make it better

I asked for your help

And you showed me how to be

A better me

I needed someone

And you were always there

This one is for you mom. I love you so much and no one could ever ask for a better mom, friend or teacher.

Love you forever,

Lauren


	3. The Last Storm

The Last Storm

**The water is still. Calm. Not a thing moves. Suddenly a startling breeze picks up a sparkling drop of water and carries it away. Right into the calm. Drip, is the only sound and a gasp of wind is its echo. That gasp makes way for the tiny waves that splash from the center. The dark clouds over head are blackening, and the sun is dimming as far as I can see. Another drip. And then a drop. The waves are growing. Breaking and bumping in one another. Boom-crash! Sounds the first roll of thunder. The sky illuminates. Lightning, flashes every which way. **

**Here I lie in my bed looking out my window. Not even a spare centimeter remains that is without water. All the small creatures run and hide, searching for safety. I feel just as small as they do. Weak, and helpless. The pond is a whirl of chaos. I cannot see the bottom… or the end. **

**But the end of this storm, this fight, is coming. I can feel change in the air. The falling water begins to lift, and slowly; drop by drop; becomes a still stop. The clouds give one last roar of thunder and then all is calm. Time is paused. The world seems to stop spinning; even though moments ago it seemed to be spinning off its axis. A sliver of sun peeks around a corner of a cloud, making my pond and surrounding field shimmer and gleam. I take a sharp, shallow breath. I stare out onto the field and pool. I am not looking at someone or something; I am just staring.**

**As out of tune I was with the world around me, at that moment I could hear the faint whisper of my best friend in the world. He sits beside me on my bed, trying to move as little as possible so as not to hurt me. He bends down a kisses me softy on my forehead. He tells me to sleep and that it is ok. I didn't need to ask him what he meant. I knew well enough. I knew exactly what he meant. I take one last look out of my window and breathe as deep as possible one last time. This was it. The fight was over. My world becomes a haze and the last beep-beep of my IV sounds. This is the way I always wanted to die. Quietly and peacefully, with my closest and dearest friend next to me, in my house, in my bed. Right after a storm. When all is calm. My eyes droop shut and I drift into a peaceful, never ending sleep…**


	4. Just Flying Together

Just Flying Together… Here is a piece of advice If your father had a truck An ole' shotgun or a two-wheeled machine That rides through the muck Your date doesn't have to be seen A hello to your mother would be just as nice And don't always think you can have your way "Don't give me that tone!" And then you will pay "Give me your phone!" Is what he will say But your father is loving He only wants what is best Someday he will say "Today is the day. My little girl has gone on her quest." "Yes." she will say As she goes on her way "But you gave me the wings to fly from the nest." So take this advice Please keep this forever Because you and him are so nice together Like two birds of a feather Just flying together 


	5. The Titanic

The Titanic: a tragic love story

It was both glamorous and glorious.

It was the unsinkable Titanic.

Few were chosen to be aboard this magnificent ship, but those who were, were either extremely wealthy or extremely lucky.

The Titanic, coming from the Greek word titian, is an adjective meaning "of enormous strength, size or power". The ship was Titanic.

The story follows two main characters, until their two very different paths cross by mistake. They left port from Southampton, England and were to arrive in New York City, New York, USA after 5 days at sea.

The first is a young woman named Rose De Witt Bukater. She comes from a wealthy family under a financial crisis and is engaged to be married to the son of a steel tycoon. She is a prisoner seeking happiness in a strict and upper-class society.

The second is a drifter and dreamer named Jack Dawson. He is an artist who travels without knowing where he will sleep or who he will meet. He symbolizes freedom. The freedom to choose your life for yourself and not have it be thrust upon you, which Rose desires to have for herself.

But when disaster strikes, the couple have nothing except each other, which they believe is enough. Rose promises to never let go of the life they have shared over the last short days. But in the end she must. She let go of the love of her life, but somewhere deep in her heart she never did.

So that's it. In the late hours of the night, two lover's lives were shattered along with many others seeking America and a better life.

You see, this disaster should have never taken place. But because of the ignorance, greed and glamour, thousands of lives were lost to the icy waters of the Atlantic. This was a well learned lesson for many. Possibly one of the hardest lessons to teach when bigger is better and the more money you have the more you are treated like a real person.

The ship was fabulous and wonderful, but the story is a tragic one that is slowly fading from the memory of society because the survivors are diminishing. Hopefully, they die in peace, the way all of the passengers should have.

Rose eventually lets go, after telling her story to a team of scientists studying the remains of the ship. She also returns the necklace, the Heart of the Sea, back to its rightful place at the ocean floor, where she knew somewhere Jack is lying peacefully. The necklace was an engagement gift from Cal, her fiancé, whom she now despises but never again saw after that fateful night. Upon arriving to America, she went by Jack's last name, so she was never found by the people she would have liked to call her jailers. The last thing you see is Rose, now withered and exhausted from the years lived. She has had a long life, the pictures at her bedside table show the things she has done and the places she has seen. And after she falls asleep, she is with Jack, all the people lost surrounding the grand staircase, where he is waiting for her. She never let go. And at last, they can live together, forever.


	6. A Mirrored Image

A Mirrored Image 

Dedicated to my dad, Matthew

I Love You Daddy!

I yell and scream

I run and slam my door

I lock it quickly

We are so alike

I look in my mirror

I have your eyes

Your curly, dark brown hair

We look so much alike

I argue because I am like you

I am bossy and a-know-it-all because

I am like you

I love spending time with you,

Because you understand me

I love that when I have done something wrong,

You will always be there to back me up

I love to call you Dad and

I hope it makes you proud to call me your daughter

Stare at you in a mirror,

Not myself,

But your mirrored image


	7. I

I…

I am responsible and loving, and clumsy : )

**I wonder what will happen to people after the Earth runs out of gas…**

**I hear wonderful music played by everyone, because everyone is a musician in someway or another.**

**I see poverty and hardships, but beauty in the end**

**I want to live like today was my last day**

**I am there for you and will always love you, even if I get a few cuts and bruises along the way :)**

**I pretend to feel needed by that special someone, to make myself feel better, but I'm just running from the truth.**

**I feel passionate at times, and meaningless at others**

**I touch others lives, hopefully, changing them forever**

**I worry about my loved ones and the future generations**

I cry when others are hurt, for it kills me to see their pain

**I am longing for that deep, true love… ****(Corny, huh?) ****I make up pretend so I'm not hurt by the truth.**

**I understand I have my ****faults**

I say God's mercy is unfair, after all why do we deserve it?

**I dream that one day there will be no more pain, suffering or sadness here on Earth.**

I try REALLY hard to control my **twilight** obsession… I really do!

**I hope that someday I will be famous for changing the world through a small act of kindness**

I am temperamental and bossy…

**But hey, that's me.**


	8. The New Me

The New Me

It's hard to believe it's been only a year. So many things have happened. I've been different places, seen new faces, shed different tears and learned more about everything. But most of all, I learned a lot about my writing and myself. Now, as I read over my old pieces of work, I see a change. A change that came with sacrifices. A change in me.

Back then, I was selfish and conceded. I wrote without truly feeling the words I was preaching. I tried to be the center of attention every second of the day. Even my title, "It's All About ME!" shows how highly I thought of myself. I thought I knew a lot about love, life and the world around me, but truly I knew very little. My heart was not in my writing. In fact, I don't think I knew what my heart was trying to say through the words I was writing. Besides sounding amateur, I would also change some of the things I had originally written. One line says, "I fear death, being alone and war", but now I don't fear any of those things. Death: the inevitable and unavoidable. Eventually the day will come when I will die and forever be with God in his kingdom. Being alone: everyone is alone at sometime or another, but being alone gives us time to think and reflect on life. And war: everyone fights at sometime or another. So after you have nothing else to fight about; and believe me the time will come when you have nothing else to fight about; you make your amends and say your apologizes to other people, yourself, and the world.

After reading over my bio-poem from last year, I can barely see the same person in me. I've done many new things, some of which were even on the list such as see Carrie Underwood. I have seen her in concert earlier this past year. But besides those things, I see a new me. I have matured in my writing greatly and I am a different person on the inside, too. I believe this would be because of my experience in Haiti this past August and everything that has happened with the earthquake since then. It gave me a new way to look at the world and myself. I found out a lot about myself, my faith, and what I want out of life. The tone is so different; from a stuck-up performing arts girl who thinks she knows a lot about the meaning of life, to a simple girl who had a good grip on the world, her head on straight, her eyes focused and her heart in the right place. It's hard to imagine that a change like that can take place in a single week.

So where does that leave me? It leaves me looking at the changes, not just from last year to this year, but the changes in my life so far. It leaves me looking back at the seen places and faces, counting the shed tears and using the knowledge I have gained to go out in the world and change it. Not just for this minute, not just for today but also not for forever. No one can be remembered for forever. So at least remember me for this minute, this second, changing the world. But don't remember the no-existent old me. Remember the new me. Remember me.


	9. Our Happily Ever After

Our Happily Ever After

How could I possibly take someone's side when I don't know what's happening in the first place? I hate not seeing them fight out in the open more than seeing them fight before me. I'm confused because I don't know what's happening. I don't know if we are falling apart or being healed. All I know is that we all feel pain right now. I don't like to see my sibling's pain because I know they must be even more confused than I am. I also hate to see my dad struggling for words, his face pained. He has always been my rock and to see him like that makes me feel even more weak and vulnerable. And then there's my mom. She left to "take a drive". I don't want to know why, although I already do. I know that she hurts sometimes and just needs to be alone, but I want to know that she's ok and that it will workout. That the pain will be over soon. This could be the end. Or it could just be the beginning of the sleepless nights or worrying. The painful nights were I cry myself to sleep. I love them too much to see them fight like this. I just want it to be over. I just want us to be happy again. And to live our fairy tale ending. God, will we ever get to live our happily ever after?


	10. No One Really Knows

No One Really Knows

She has the strongest faith, and yet she needs constant proof. She loves another with all her heart, but she hasn't met him yet. She keeps faith in lost causes, but is always the first to doubt. She feels the words, yet hates the writing. She lives in the now, but dreams for the future and regrets the past. She always tries her hardest, but is always afraid to fail. She tries to please everyone by being charming and sweet, but would rather save herself the stress and show her true colors. She wishes she were different, but always stays the same. She tries to figure it all out, but ends up more confused. She is emotional all the time, from anger to sadness to joy to acceptance. She will always wonder, but will never ask. She is sophisticated and classy, yet loves comfort and ease. She's got everything under control, yet her world is falling apart. She has confidence and self-respect, yet is always self-conscious. She never wants to be weak, but finds it hard to always be strong. She is a fighter, but wants to give up. Who is she? No one really knows.


	11. Found

Found

I used to dream that someone, like you, would find me.

But now I'm found.

I used to think that there would never be a love like this, for me.

But now the love has flowed in like a river.

I used to only wish there would be the right man in the world for me.

But then I found you.

Dedicated to: Edward Cullen


	12. Mark Twain's Regrets

Lauren Kern

**Oct. 19th, 2010**

2nd period

Mark Twain's Regrets

In this section from the memoir _Life on the Mississippi River _by Mark Twain is all about how if we learn a piece of precious knowledge, but then we forget the basic things of which we know, we go through our lives missing all the beauty in the world.

He tells of how when he first became a sailor on the river. He remembers a magnificent sunset in extreme detail, not missing a blade of grass or a swirl in the water. But now when he looks back, he sees every part of that sunset as danger. If we look back on every detail in our past-lived lives, we could see the danger, silliness or plain insignificance of the moment that could have been something that we were clinging to in the moment. Too many people miss the beauty, the gorgeous life inside us all. They only see the danger of a fever or a sunset or the thunder in the distance. We as humans are scared to open our eyes, live, and let go of our pre-conceived notions and knowledge.

The poem _Forgotten Language _by Shel Silverstein has many similarities to the section of the memoir. While Mr. Silverstein once spoke the language of the flowers, Mr. Twain spoke the language of words. Twain knows he will never get his knowledge of words and life back, but for Silverstein it is a question: How did it go? How did it go?

Walt Whitman also has a thing or two to say about learning from others. His character in the poem _When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer_ is a do-er, a person who learns through experiencing something and not simple hearing. Twain, I believe, was also a do-er. He never thought he could possibly lose his knowledge and passion for words and the beauty of the river. But with gained knowledge comes lost knowledge, and he lost his innocent idea that beauty is everywhere.

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. Another poem to memoir relation is the poem _After English Class. _ We see a character not enjoy his favorite poem because they learn all the hidden meanings. Learning things that drastically changed the view of this poem ruined it for the person in the poem, just like learning all the different meanings of the signs on the river sunset. Twain lost the beauty of the sunset and the once-favorite poem was no more in the eyes of its reader.

Like with everything, with gain comes sacrifice. With a new addition to the family, maybe it's some lost sleep or money. With a new book, it might be losing value time in class or skipping your chores and getting in trouble. But when you lose your love of something, it is gone forever because you will always have that gnawing feeling in the back of your mind even if you turn back. Losing love, and passion, and words, and life, is something that can never be reversed, turned back or returned. It can only be regretted.


	13. Pills

I

Hallie was through with living. She found nothing about it inviting or exhilarating. Nothing made her laugh, or cry, or feel anything anymore. She was through with the drama of her family and the rumors at school about her being pregnant. She wasn't of course, but some people refused to believe what she had been telling everyone for months now. She thought about how guilty they would all feel, and the image of them all crying and feeling horrible themselves made her smile out of spite. So she wrote her good-bye letter, not shedding a tear as she wrote how sorry she was to her father and brothers. After her mother had died, leaving a family of 3 kids and a heart-broken husband, things had changed in Hallie's house. And now they would change again.

She went to her father's medicine cabinet and picked up the few bottles of prescriptions. It would be easy, she thought. Painless. She looked at the different colored little pills, each with a different shape and size. Hallie figured these would do, and filled a glass with water from the tap. She looked in the mirror one final time, letting a few tears escape as she thought about all the people she was letting down and leaving behind. She was selfish and cruel, but she found no other solution. She would miss her brothers, Andy and Luke, her friends Paige and Samantha, and her father. She knew this would simply crush him, for so long he had tried to make a home without a mother to fill the heart of the house. He had not failed, but she felt like she was failing him.

There was no turning back. She had tried everything at school and around their small farm town but nothing seemed to work. The rumors continued and Hallie could not continue living with the whispers, sneers and hateful looks. But soon they would be no more.

Hallie looked heavenward and whispered to the one she hoped was listening, "Please forgive me." She cried harder than before as she lifted the glass to her mouth and took the first few pills. She did this again three times before all the rainbow pills had been consumed and disappeared. She felt uneasy, sick to her stomach, thinking about what she had just done to her family, her community and herself. Sick.

She went and laid on her twin bed in her yellow room, the white comforter inviting. She closed her eyes and cried silent tears. But soon the tears dried and she drifted off to a place where there were no tears, no suffering, no rumors, no lies and no death. And all thanks to those little, multicolored pills.

II

Kristin sat in her hospital bed, holding her miracle baby. Her husband Scott leaned over and kissed the newborn girl's head that was covered in a dark brown fuzz. How sweet this baby and just to think that a year ago they could have never imagined their new lives as parents, had it not been for a simple pill.

The doctors told the couple they had a slim chance without treatments and other options such as adoption and fertilization plans. They didn't have the money for the expensive alternatives they took a different route after seeking the help from their 3rd doctor. He gave them a supplement. But it ended up being more than that. It was hope.

Hope that they too one day could be parents, like they had always wished since marriage. Kristin was religious about taking her medication exactly how the doctor said to. She didn't want to be the one screwing it up, so she did her best.

And when they found out that she was pregnant, they took as many precautions as possible. Vitamins here, extra healthy foods there. Left and right, they were making subtle changes to make way for a new addition to their tiny family of two.

Kristin and Scott both seemed to notice how pills constantly affected their lives. Scott being a pharmacist, and Kristin working as a nurse, they were around them constantly. And they never seemed to bother them one bit.

But the couple and their baby girl were a result of a miracle called modern science, the road paved by hundreds of years of intuition and the constant need for more exploration and answers in the world.

Never had we dreamed a hundred years ago, or even 30 years ago, that such a little thing could help bring a new life into the world.

III

Phillip realized the pain would be gone soon, and the thought put his mind at ease. He was sick, a sick old man, lying in his bed having only a grandson to take care of him.

He had strep throat, not deadly but extremely uncomfortable for a man of his late age, or of any age for that matter. The doctor knew that by the look of this throat it was strep, but did a swab and sent it off to the lab just to be sure. And the next day, a phone call from the doctor's office confirmed it, giving him a prescription for penicillin.

Phillip's grandson, Adam, who lived with Phillip in his Boston townhouse, pick up his grandfathers medication along with some orange juice and Tylenol for his recently increasing headaches. He was so worried about his grandfather and his declining health, but it was no time to be worrying about it. Phillip needed him.

After losing his wife to cancer 6 years back, Philip was never quite the same. His health declined, as well as his social life and community activities. But he still went to church every Sunday and played bingo with his neighbors on Tuesday nights. Some things were still the same.

But it looked as if there would be no bingo tonight. He was almost to ill to keep his eyes open, let alone shout out "BINGO!"

"That's alright." Philip thought, "The pain will be over soon." And he swallowed the large white pill with a swig of orange juice.


	14. Senses

The Senses

They ask me which sense

I would rather loose

Be my sight

Or smell

Or taste

Or touch

Or even to hear

But you my dear

Are the reason why

I thank God

For I have them as my guide

To never hear your voice

To never see your face

To never taste your kiss

To never smell you sweet scent

And to never feel your touch

Would be to painful to endure

So to lose anyone of my senses,

Would be so painful

For they make my life complete

You make my life whole again

Though the pain and hard times

I see your face and my burden lessens

Your voice comforts me

You take me in your arms,

So strong and upholding

And I taste all of your emotions

With a simple kiss

And nothing can touch me

I fly above the clouds

On your wings

The wind rushing though my hair

But you bring my back down to earth again

But this time a new person

Your faith is strong

It makes mine stronger

Our wish for a new and better day

For I now know that there really is hope

In this world

My senses guide me daily

They guide me home to you


	15. The Atmosphere

The Atmosphere

I walk into the room

Electricity hits me

Taste the atmosphere

Let it consume you

Feel that atmosphere

Move with the current

And don't fight it

Know the atmosphere

It let's you understand

Let's you understand

What people are thinking

And feeling

The mood is crashing off in waves

Embrace them

To further your knowledge

And expand your emotion

Taste the atmosphere

Let it consume you

Feel that atmosphere

Move with the current

And don't fight it

Know the atmosphere

It let's you understand

Lets' you understand

What people are thinking

And feeling

Understand and know

Take away and remember

What it was like

In that atmosphere


	16. no point at all

**no point at all.**

Most people would think me too young to know what my philosophy for life is yet, but what I have realized after three years in this class is never to doubt your abilities because of your age. Have we not realized that children have an amazing sense of wonder, and that sometimes evil can overpower good. But another thing that we have learned is that in the end justice will prevail, even when it looks like life is a lost cause.

I believe in always having hope for a better day, because if we lose hope in a nicer tomorrow what is there to keep hope in? I believe in the amazing love and grace of our Father, and that every human deserves a second chance. I am not God and I do not have the right to judge other when I do not know who they are or what they have been through. I know I am sometimes wrong, and that I am human and humans make mistakes. I am not here to shove what I know to be true down your throat, but in this unit I did learn to listen to what others have to say without judging just to let them be heard. And I want you to do the same for me. So I guess my philosophy is to use your senses. They were given to you for a reason. To be used both wisely and efficiently.

Use your ears to listen to what others have to say, to know what is true in others words. And sometimes what is not. Listen to the music that is a gift from God, praising his name. Listen to the stories of our past, places and things we will never do again. We have learned our eternal truths through stories such as I speak of.

Use your eyes to see the world around you, each day a new. See the glorious colors, each one different from the next one. See the sun in the morning and the stars in the night, informing us of the turning days. See the trees leaves' changing color with the seasons coming and going. See the faces of the ones we love.

Use your nose to smell the scent of spring, fresh and new. Smell the crisp, pure snow freshly fallen in the winter time. All the seasons have a smell: the cinnamon in fall, the ocean in summer. We know the smells of home, from the perfumes to the food. It's home. And home is where the heart is.

Use your touch to change the lives of others. Whether you soften their stone cold heart or you embrace them in their time of need, touch is a powerful thing. This we must never forget. The serpent touched Eve in the garden changing her thinking and creating the fall of humanity. This is a good example of were using our senses wisely would be most important.

Use your mouth to speak the true words you know. This I know is true, and that is why I speak them. Words can change everything you know. Words that are true can build you up. But words that are lies can tear lives apart. Be heard by the world; speak loudly for all to hear your truths. Let your tongue be guarded and guided, wise in its choice of syntax. Words can start wars or end them; words can change hearts or harden them forever. Words can make a person or break them.

Our senses are not just put there to help us or make us look pretty. They are put there, so delicately given and taken away, to help us develop into who we will be. Music is a huge part of my life, but without me senses it would be nothing. If I could not see the audience or my music before, if I could not hear the notes as they were played, if I could not take a deep breath through my nose before I began, if I could not sing the words as they were written, if I could not move the hearts I perform for, then what would be the point of my performing? There would be no point at all.


	17. For the Common Good

For The Common Good…

When I was young, I could trust. I never had a reason to suspect anyone of a crime or vicious deed. But now I see that there is danger around every corner, and no one is neither innocent nor pure. Everyone has something they regret, some more than others. And now I see that some people can never change. Their regrets have altered them too much for them to possibly go back, and neither I nor anyone else can ever trust them again. It is not a matter of forgiveness, but of lost respect. Sometimes not trusting everyone is wise, but not always smart. A person who is always untrusting can often find themselves alone and despised in the world, just as much as those who are untrustworthy. Everyone feels they need to be trusted at some point or another, going off of nothing but their instinct and gut feeling, no evidence or facts telling them their hunch is correct. And trust, my friends, is what often keeps us alive. From modern science to the first leap of faith; trust and hope have kept us alive throughout the years.

With trust comes other feelings for people. Admiration, respect and courtesy are three examples of this. For me, respect and courtesy are two attributes that I find both most appealing and dignifying in a person. They are the very two characteristics that make up our being, whether you have a lot of them or not. Whenever I meet someone new, I want to show them courtesy by being polite and kind. And when I get to know them better I want them to have the same respect for me as I have for them. I will have a certain level of respect for a person from the very moment I meet them. After all, they have come into my life for a reason and are breathing the same air that I am. Not matter what their past is, they are in that moment with a purpose and they are alive. They have life in them, and that is a great reason for the respect and courtesy I hope to always show.

No one ever said that having courtesy, faith and respect is always easy. In fact, someone can almost always give you a reason not to have one of these characteristics for them. But we are given a mind that enables us to have all of these instincts and learned attributes. And whether you agree with my thinking or not, I still know that these things are true. Something keeps me believing in them, whether it is the people I have faith in or the great things I have seen, I have to keep thinking that someone will keep these attributes alive long after I am gone. It is what I must believe in order for me to go through my life having a content knowledge of everything, knowing that I might have made the world a better place for the common good of at least one person.


	18. Aren't We?

Aren't We?

Credo project

I believe in the overwhelming grace of God

The life and truth in his word

The beauty and peace in nature

The wisdom and gifts in reading

The emotions that come with sacrifice

Fear, loss, love

But the idea of speaking Christianity but not acting as so, is sickening.

I believe in forbidden love that somehow works out

I believe in having a fiery passion for seeking God

I believe in having hope in lost causes

Wishing, dreaming, believing

And I believe in living life like you were dying, because, really, aren't we?


	19. A Little More Faith

6

A Little More Faith

A Little More Faith

An Exploration Paper on World Poverty

Lauren Kern

P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School

English I Portfolio

October 5th, 2011

What is poverty? What is the actual definition of poverty as compared to what people's perceptions of what poverty is? And how much of the world does it actually consume? These are the questions I asked myself before writing this paper. Not easy ones to tackle. We have all seen poverty in many forms, from the T.V. to online articles to it being right before our eyes, as I'm sure many of you have. Sometimes I don't understand it. And that is why I chose this topic. To gather the information I needed, I used the internet, digging up a variety of different opinions, types of information and solutions to the problems of poverty. Poverty is changing, evolving to its surrounding world. Poverty is neediness and destitution, while others have bountiful riches and plenty. For some, poverty is looking into a black future and remembering the dark past. Is our view of poverty changing too? I believe it is. And while more than half the world is consumed by it, there are still solutions to the pressing problem of poverty. There is hope.

Poverty: (noun) the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; a condition of being poor. The technical definition found in any dictionary explains it all. Poverty is when having nothing or close to it. Not food in your stomach, money in your pocket or a roof above your head. But stories are told for a reason- so that people can relate and walk a time in your shoes. One woman recalls her experience with poverty as such:

Poverty is getting up every morning from a dirt and illness- stained mattress. Poverty is being tired. Poverty is dirt. Poverty is staying up all night on' cold nights to watch the fire knowing one spark on the newspaper covering the walls means your sleeping child dies in flames. Poverty is asking for help. Poverty is remembering. Poverty is looking into a black future. Poverty is an acid that drips on pride until pride is worn away. Poverty is a chisel that chips on honor until honor is worn away. Some of you say that you would do something in my situation, and maybe you would, for the first week or the first month, but for year after year after year?

This was found in a paper called "What is Poverty?" by Jo Goodwin Parker. The quote above is from her own lips. I can feel her anger and frustration and despair, though I have never experienced being in poverty myself. Can you? Can you walk a mile in her ill-fitting, tattered shoes?

What about the world's view of poverty? The movie _Slumdog _

_Millionaire_ was a spark in the world of pop culture by changing

the way we think about poverty, or in this specific case, slums.

An article from states that while the plot of the movie

is fictional the message of hope behind it is not. "By finding a hero

who rises from shacks and degradation, the film reflects a surprising new consensus that even as slums proliferate around the world at a greater scale than ever before, they could, with the right mix of policies, be the launching pads for upward mobility rather than dead-ends," Howard Husock says . And I believe what he says is true. If we change our views on poverty such as the slums, we can look at them as a mission of hope and a radical change rather than a pointless situation that will not help or change anything or anyone. The movie also proves that the education system is sorely lacking in many areas of the world, and while I completely believe in what a good education can bring everyone, there are some things that no amount of studying and bookwork will ever be able to teach us. Husock writes, "_Slumdog Millionaire,_ set in the shantytowns of Mumbai, is just the first evidence in popular cultures that the view of the slums is changing. Not only does the movie tell the story of the hero's rise from the bottom, but it also shows that his success is the result of what he learned from the slums, not from school." Pop culture affects our view on everything from politics, to music, to what we put on in the morning. Why shouldn't it affect our view on poverty as well?

What about looking at poverty from a factual and statistics standpoint? Well, here a just a few: half the world- nearly 3 billion people- live on less than $2 a day. 1 in 7 people have no access to health services. 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. 1.1 billion people around the world have inadequate access to water. This includes clean water that is safe to drink. 2.6 billion people

lack basic sanitation. This includes trash disposal and latrine disposal.

There are 2.2 billion children in the world and 1 billion of them live in

poverty. 1.6 billion people live without electricity. That's one fourth of the

population. These are just some of the hundreds of statistics and facts

that anyone can find on the Internet or in magazines. But here is the most shocking: 780 billion dollars are spent on the world's military each year. To fix education, water, sanitation, and basic health and nutrition for all people every year, it would only take 28 billion. More money is spent killing people than trying to save them. I found this one statistic from .

There are many components to why people are impoverished. When I Googled this, the question itself comes up with more than 13,000,000 results. These include essays, articles, websites, blogs and numerous other resources of why people say there is poverty. Most of them say large factors are corruption, governments, economy, trade agreements, and greed. While these all have a part to play in the widening gap between First World Nations and Third World Nations, where poverty generally occurs, it can be argued that globalization has something to do with it, as well. Globalization today causes people in America to not be able to get jobs, sending them into poverty, because someone in Haiti, Iraq or China will do the same job for much less. We call this concept outsourcing. Now, while this might create a job for someone in a generally more poor country, the Per Capita GDP of these countries is still less than the U.S. In fact, there is over a 45,000 dollar difference, from the U.S. making a Per Capita GDP of $46,860; to Haiti making only $1,163. The Per Capita GDP is often used as a measurement of a country or nation's wealth. The U.S. is the 7th richest country. Haiti is the 16th poorest in the entire world. There are only 681 miles separating us.

Haiti is the 16th poorest country because of all things listed above: globalization, governments that have gone to the dogs, an awful economy, trade agreements, greed, corruption and selfishness. This is a "me, me, me" world we live in. Your average person is not going to care about poverty, or at least not do anything to solve it as long as they have food in their stomachs and a roof over their head at the end of the day.

No man, woman, or child should have to live without the physical, emotional, and spiritual necessities that everyone needs. That world is unequal, and some may say unjust. Today we woke up in that world but it doesn't have to be that way tomorrow. Everyday thousands of people chose to stand up and fight against poverty. There are organizations worldwide joining in the fight, some such as Compassion International, Mercy Ships, UNICEF and World Vision. If everyone would get informed about world poverty and take action in tangible ways to ending poverty, it could very well be eradicated. But first we must take action.

Now is the time for the world to stop being so blind and deaf to the cries of the poor and impoverished. These problems, problems which each of us should take upon ourselves to solve, are not unfixable or irreversible. There is an answer, many in fact. Time, perseverance, and faith is all it takes to make the dream and idea of a world without poverty a reality.

When there is hope for a new day, people behind the movement to stop people from living impoverished lives, and absolutely no poverty anywhere in the world, then that is the day that I believe so many others will be able to finally rest. But until that day comes, we must keep pushing forward to ultimately and unconditionally end poverty forever. That is when no person will live in destitution, no man will have to look into a black future, and when the world will no longer be consumed by something as heartbreaking as poverty. I've heard before that justice is love in public. Maybe we should all show a little more love. A little more compassion. A little more faith.

Bibliography:

.

"What is Poverty?" by Jo Goodwin Parker

Definition of poverty from .com

article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats

takeaction/

Is "Slumdog Millionaire" Real? - Howard Husock from

Slumdog Millionaire-the movie

Upfront Magazine- Atlas and Almanac article


	20. Consumed Heart

**Consumed Heart**

**Many people's hearts have been consumed by things; some positive, some negative. I don't really know what to say about mine, though.**

**You see my heart has been consumed by poverty, and all of its factors and results. My heart aches, as does my head, as I think about all of the pain that the world holds upon its shoulders. There is a lot of pain to bear, dear reader.**

**When this assignment was first given out, it was easy for my heart to lead the way in picking which topic to write about. I could clearly see which way I was meant to take in constructing such a work of art, as I wanted it to be. The research and actual writing of the paper was a tiring and sobering experience. I was again pulled back down to earth off of my cloud to see what world we live in. **

**I don't mean to sound negative, because truly, I did not mean to write a negative paper at all. I meant to open people's eyes and unplug their ears from their long forgotten state of ignorance. I hope that I could get my point across in such a way that will stay with the reader for a while and make them think. **

**My consumed heart is tender, and strong, and powerful, and loud. I think everyone has a consumed heart for something. When you find that thing, you will know it, simply because it will always be on your mind in some way, shape or form. That's what happens when you have a consumed heart. **


	21. Diversity and Equality

Thankful for Breath: Diversity and Equality in 

"Harrison Bergeron" and _X-Men_

When we think about the words "equality" and "diversity", to two terms might seem like they should be used together, but all too often in our society the words could not be on more opposite sides of mental board. By dictionary standards, the word "equality" means the state or quality of being equal, and "diversity" means the state or fact of being diverse, variety and multi-formity. Exploring how the short story "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and the graphic novel "X-Men" from _Marvel Comics _incorporate these two themes will be the very topic this paper tries to convey.

In "Harrison Bergeron" equality is viewed as every being exactly the same, equal and the same are one thing. The government in the story creates a standard of "equality", where people who might be gifted or advanced in any way, whether mentally or physically, have handicaps enforced by the government. The main character, which the story is named after, rebels against the government, taking with him a small group of people before they are quickly put back in there place by means of brutal force. Harrison and his group of rebels are seen as a serious threat to the government and, therefore, are seen as the "bad guys". However, it is in the eye of the beholder that one could see the government as the "bad guys" as well. In my personal experiences from life with my friends and family, and from what I have gather about the world thus far, the only "bad guy" I can see is the government of Harrison Bergeron because they have killed creativity and extinguished individualism.

_Marvel Comic's _"X-Men" also has its own idea of what "equality" means. Equality in this graphic novel means completely segregated and separate. The mutants and the humans do not interact often, and when they do the ordeals can be violent and stressful. The government, run by robot sentinels, is the one who keeps them separate. Kitty, our main female character, goes back in time in order to try and alter reality in a way to save not only her mutant friends and children, but humans as well. The sentinels are viewed as the most dangerous character in the story because they are the ones who enforce the segregation laws. As seen in American and world history, segregation does not end well for either side of the line.

The themes of diversity and equality in both X-Men and Harrison Bergeron are themes that could be applied to the real world. Diversity is something that we live with every day, as is equality. We rely on diversity to keep ideas and knowledge moving in efficient ways in schooling and the work realm. We rely on equality keeping us safe and our rights intact. Nations were diversity and equality are being suppressed have been seen today, though they are not as extreme as the works citied. This concept of these two necessities for making the world spin being controlled is not anything new.

The idea of a world without diversity and equality is a scary thought that does not seem to sound like what America wanted to be in the first place. Diversity is what keeps us all unique and shows off our individuality. Equality is what ensures us of our voice in government and around the world. A world without such simple notions that some people take for granted or forget about all together would be like a world without oxygen. You wouldn't be able to breathe. So inhale your wonderfully diverse and equal nation. It's something that we should never forget to be thankful for.


	22. Freeing the Caged Bird Again

Freeing the Caged Bird Again….

The freedom that I find in writing is not something that can really be described. It's like a bird taking flight after being locked in a cage for a long while. They have known freedom before, but now they are trapped. So when the assignment to write a poem, any poem, just write a poem, was given, I was like a captive bird being released into the beautiful blue sky.

Another part of me was slightly intimidated. Did I even remember how to fly? It had been so long since I had written any poetry, and I was a little rusty. Did I even remember how to write a poem?

I needed inspiration and I needed it fast. But none seemed to come to me at all. It was scary, like I had lost something so precious to me and I didn't know where to look for it..

As a bird sings for beauty, music ended up being the very thing that got me going. How did it make me feel, that song? Develop a character in your mind, now how do they feel when they hear it? Now write it all down.

And I did write it all down. And I felt very… fulfilled. The songbird had found her wings again and she was going to fly, one way or another. So someone open her cage, she will not let what makes her happy sit unused for so long ever again.


	23. How Do I Value Men in Society?

Creative Project: How Do I Value Men in Society?

Throughout history, men have been perceived as more valuable than women, sons more than daughters, husbands more than wives. Whatever reaction this fact evokes doesn't change the fact. Over the years, women have had to petition, fight and picket for equality among men. This fight for status could understandably leave some women resentful of men, who have never had to fight for their place in society. I pose this question to myself: how do I as a _woman_ value _men_ in society? Do we agree with our place being "lower" than a man's? And should we dare ask why when things have been like this for so long?

When I think of my family I think of essential male members such as my father, brother, uncles, cousins and grandfathers, as well as essential females. I value my father for many different reasons. He is my protector and provider, someone I can look up to. I see all kinds of characteristics in my male family members that I will look for in a husband one day, and I expect them to set the bar for what I _should _look for in a husband. Someday my husband will take my father's place as a provider and protector, and I personally have never had a problem with that picture at all. While some women would, I have always seen it as a comfort knowing that there will always be that person in my life.

My wonderful guy friends have the very difficult task of keeping me sane with their easy simplicity and their ability to make me laugh, while making me a better person. Each day, I see them becoming men of our society who I believe will be great leaders for our generation. I value each of them individually for who they are and how they are a very important part of my life. While I also value my girlfriends, my guy friends fill a gap that no girlfriend ever could. I expect different things of my guy friends then I do of my family or people I do not know, because they are each in their own category and can therefore not be compared to each other. Each of my guy friends has been raised by a different set of parents who have taught them each different principles and ideas. When these things all come together in our friend-group we get a glimpse of what society is really like.

There are very important male members of society who I value and count on, even though I might not know them. Every day we rely on politicians, military members, law enforcement, firefighters, grocers, bankers, teachers, and many others to make our society run smoothly. If we took away all the men from those work forces, how could we continue to function on the level we do now? It would be impossible. In a way, we all are very dependent on men for making a society function properly, just as we are dependent on women.

While not everyone would agree with my opinions, I would ask everyone to challenge themselves by asking the questions I did. Men: how do you value women? Women: how do you value men? When we all know our answers to these questions we can them reflect on them daily and make sure we as a society and world are living them out through our words and actions.


	24. Invincible

_**Invincible**_

_**Drive with the windows down**_

_**And the radio up**_

_**Feel the wind**_

_**Forget the destination**_

_**Watch the tires eat up**_

_**The highway**_

_**Dance to yourself**_

_**Be happy**_

_**Be invisible and invincible**_

_**If only for a moment**_


	25. Pride and Prejudice

_Pride and Prejudice _

Jane Austen has made me a believer. In true love, strong family bonds and that there is the prefect someone out there for everyone. I believe Austen wrote a very practical and relatable group of characters with whom the readers can find at least one to relate to. After seeing the movie adaptation, I feel in love with the world of the Bennets, were the world was more simple and yet so very complex. I personally related most to Elizabeth's character whom I found charming, witty and extremely bright. Mr. Darcy has set a new standard of gentlemen for me, and I found his loveable despite his rough exterior.

I can clearly see why the world has accepted so many of Austen's books as classics because they truly are. The use of traditional text sets us all back in time while expanding our vocabulary. I would have loved to sit down and had a conversation with Austen about how she developed her characters, simply so I can get some tips for my own writing.

This novel very quickly became one of my favorites, just as the film has. While sticking remarkably close to the book, the movie adaptation quite clearly captures the world of Austen in a beautiful, romantic movie.

If you have never read a Jane Austen, I would strongly recommend picking one up, _Pride and Prejudice_ being at the top of my list. I have since then ventured into other Austen novels, and have also fallen in love with them and their characters. In my opinion, Jane Austen could not have written a better book that would touch so many generations the way hers has.


	26. The Painter's Masterpiece

**Literary Analysis Paper: The Painter's Masterpiece**

Lauren Kern

6th period May 11th, 2012

Look at a painting. There are different colors, layers, and sections that make up the piece. If we look at these pieces individually, we see how they each play an important role in making the painting. If we take that idea and apply it to how society values and devalues certain lives, the answers are strikingly similar. As each of us has been taught morals and ideas by many different people, so has the painting been worked on in many different places, times and circumstances. Through words, actions and radical ideas, society has formed, valuing some and devaluing others. We see these three elements brought to life in_ Sold_ by Patricia McCormick, "Ain't I a Woman?" by Sojourner Truth, and "How to Keep a Slave" by Cato the Elder. We see that we all play a role in the makeup of how lives are viewed and respected, just as each stroke of the paintbrush brings the painter one step closer to completing him masterpiece.

I think some people would doubt the power they have over others, when in reality, everyone holds the dangerous power of words in their mouths to be able to build someone up or knock them down with one cutting remark. What we say can have a lasting impression on someone, just like societies views have on us. These views were at one time just words too, but over time they have morphed into something that becomes challenged by the few who dare to go against the status quo, but accepted by most. In _Sold, _the words the main character Lakshmi is told turns her whole world and makes her question her worth, her place, and her views of people. The words Lakshmi's mother shares with her about what will be expected of her as a wife and woman seem ridiculous to women in 1st-world societies, but in Nepali culture it is simply the norm. Here is an example of the things Ama told Lakshmi she must do: "Never look a man in the eye. Once you are married, you must eat your meal only after your husband has had his fill. Then you may have the remains. If he turns to you in the might, you must give yourself to him, in hopes that you will bear a son. If you have a son, feed him at your breast until he is four. If you have a daughter, feed her at your breast for a season, so that you can try once more to bear a son." Society's words are those that are spewed in her face, and cut her the deepest. Surprisingly enough, another society's words are those that heal. It's hard to believe that a few words, words who people will forget they even said, could have the lasting effect on someone like Lakshmi.

We all know the saying: "Actions speak louder than words." In some ways, this is true. What we act upon not just what we preach is what people see, even when they are deaf to what we say. That is often why they have a great opportunity for making impressions of people. Lakshmi sees her "uncle husband" deal out sweets and slaps with the same hand, forcing her to not know whether to trust him or not. Cato the Elder was a frugal man who gave his slaves little more than he gave his dogs. Sojourner Truth talks of the lack of affectionate actions and the heap of brutal actions that were doled out to her. Often someone's actions can be both destructive to other and themselves. Actions are what we should believe about a society. Do they act justly, kindly, and for the right reasons? These are the things we should be questioning of each society's actions.

Sojourner Truth's radical ideas shook up a women's rights convention in the 1850's, and perhaps a little shaking up is just what these people needed. Without these new ideas, societies would never evolve, change or advance in any way. These radical ideas often seem crazy but once accepted adapt into a normal thing in everyday life. The light bulb, for example, was once a far off dream, but today we flip a switch and expect the lights to work without a second thought. So when the light bulb went off in Sojourner Truth's head, the radical idea of her taking action was soon to become a reality.

All new things spring from ideas, actions and words. We count on these things every day to make a society function as it does. So when a painter gets a radical idea for a painting, he might tell a friend, who either will think he is crazy or fully support the idea. That idea could then be born into this world is a series of colors, lights, and beautiful creations. The Painter's Masterpiece is finished.


End file.
